The past decade has been marked by a technological revolution driven by the convergence of the data processing industry with the consumer electronics industry. This advance has been even further accelerated by the extensive consumer and business involvement in the Internet over the past two years. As a result of these changes, it seems as if virtually all aspects of human endeavor in the industrialized world require human-computer interfaces. There is a need to make computer directed activities accessible to a substantial portion of the world's population which, up to a few years ago, was computer-illiterate or, at best, computer indifferent. In order for the vast computer supported marketplace to continue and be commercially productive, it will be necessary for many computer indifferent consumers and other potential users to be involved in computer interfaces.
Two of the computer interface implementations which have played a major role in advancing user interfaces have been: display windows, which make it possible for the user to simultaneously conduct many operations and sessions; and icons, which make user interaction with the computer more intuitive and quicker.
These two implements, which usually function together, do have limitations, which also affect each other. Because of the increase in functions which may be carried out in windows, the number of windows and their respective scopes on a display screen have increased. As a result, the available area within individual windows may often be limited. On the other hand, while icons and like interactive images may be intuitive, easy to access and fast, they often require a learning period to permit the user to learn the functions which they represent. During any such learning period, it is desirable to have explanatory text associated with each selectable icon or image item in a selectable set or menu. The above-described limitations in available window area work against such explanatory text to make each selectable item more comprehensive and understandable.
Currently available user interface systems have features for customizing user interfaces based upon the degree of comprehensiveness required by the user at his particular skill level. However, such customization implementations require the user to locate the interface customization feature and then proceed through several steps in the feature, e.g. he must locate the appropriate menu, interpret his preferences within the menu and find appearance options within appropriate dialogs. As will be seen hereinafter, the present invention eliminates such customization steps and thereby provides for an automatic customization within the operative window.